1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paper machine clothing, and more particularly, to the composition of monofilaments used in the paper machine clothing.
2. Description of the Related Art
A paper machine clothing (PMC) fabric is typically manufactured with a specific set of design and quality specifications for a particular paper machine's performance requirements. These specifications include surface characteristics, open area, void volume, permeability and smoothness, among others. The need to implement an effective PMC fabric cleaning and inspection program is crucial to newer, faster machines, higher quality requirements and the desire for extended fabric life.
All fabrics, especially dryer fabrics, should be periodically cleaned and inspected so that their original properties are retained as long as possible and their value is optimized. The fabric of the paper machine clothing must be cleaned in order to maintain the required permeability and to prevent sheet streaking due to non-uniform dewatering and drying profiles, sheet drop-offs in vacuum assisted transfers, uniruns and single dryer runs. Fabric cleaning is accomplished both mechanically, for example by showering, and chemically. Some of the more common consequences resulting from fabric contamination are, for example, sheet moisture profile unevenness, sheet instability and the transfer of deposits from the fabric to the paper. In addition, dryer fabric contamination can lead to issues related to non-uniform heat transfer, reduced heat transfer resulting from deposits left on the drying cylinders, and plugged vacuum rolls.
What is needed in the art is a PMC fabric which allows for effective monitoring of the cleanliness and overall condition of a fabric.